Iker Casillas gay

The Twitter exchange between Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol matters because it shows football has a lot more to do to make the LGBTQ+ community feel welcome ...

and the weak backtrack". [Lloyd Wilson](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/61677729) and [Josh Cavallo](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/61594149), and the bravery it took both men to open up about their authentic selves in a sport where gay and bisexual men have historically been marginalised. [men](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/wales/60986375) and [women](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/judo/63042346) - have struggled with their sexuality, and that hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people in general [are on the rise](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63157965) in England and Wales. [LGBTQ+ leagues](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62948125) marking landmark anniversaries to LGBTQ+ fans [attending games as their inclusive selves](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-57682671), the sport is more inclusive than it's ever been. [Jake Daniels](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61467159) and [Zander Murray](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/63186022), talking about the weight they felt as teenagers in the game when they felt like they had to hide their sexuality to get on in the game. But to condemn an entire sport for the tin-eared and cack-handed Twitter exchanges of two men who ought to have known better wouldn't be fair. You'd have to have listened to the stories of And it stirred up the worst elements of social media, who have spent the past 24 hours hurling homophobic abuse at those - myself included - who point out that there are real-world consequences to the words of Casillas and Puyol. The answer is 'yes' - but to understand that, you'd have to understand what it's like to be an LGBTQ+ person in football, and in society. Football referee Ryan Atkin - who happens to be gay - accused the two men of "fuelling homophobia in the game", saying the pair needed to "hang their head in shame", while Had it been true, Casillas would have been the most significant male player to open up about their sexuality, in a sport where the number of out male role models can still be counted on the fingers of a pair of goalkeeping gloves. [tweet from the account](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63193331) of the former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper.

Another player says they don't believe the "hacked" story and think it was a tone-deaf attempt at a joke. Tweet appeared on the account of Spain's Iker ...

The most recent to come out was Scotland’s Zander Murray. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful [pic.twitter.com/Yp88aQyyTV] [@IkerCasillas]and [@Carles5puyol]joking and making fun out of coming out in football is disappointing. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful.” Sorry for a clumsy joke with no bad intentions and totally out of place. Of course, more apologies to the LGBT community.”

World Cup-winning captain had said his account had been hacked and apologised to his followers and the LGBTQ community.

And of course, more apologies to the LGBT community.” To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful.” “@IkerCasillas and @Carles5puyol joking and making fun out of coming out in football is disappointing,” Cavallo, who became the first active A-League player to come out as gay last year, said on Twitter.